On Tour: On the Edge by Dick Hannah - Review

Dick Hannah is now on tour with Sage's Blog Tours with his book, On The Edge. Please visit her tour page on Sage's Blog Tour for more blog stop.

On The Edge
by Dick Hannah

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Publication: September 2012
Format: ebooks
Source: ARC
Connect:  Blog | Amazon | Facebook | Twitter

On the Edge takes, Joe Malone, a disgraced and psychologically scarred Iraq War Marine veteran to the canyons and deserts of West Texas to face his biggest fears and confront a dangerous enemy while racing in a three day adventure race. Just when Joe finds he can deal with his transition from the combat to civilian life, he finds a client in his father's fitness boot camp brutally murdered. A few days later a second client is killed. Losing his job, losing his friends, losing his sanity all is secondary when Joe realizes that more of his clients are at risk as they get ready to leave for a three-day adventure race in West Texas. To protect his friends, Joe must beat down his debilitating agoraphobia, overcome his paranoid and violent father and find some way to resolve the rift that has been created between him and his best friend all while protecting his clients from a dangerous murderer during an adventure race.

I received a copy of On The Edge by Dick Hannah from Sage's Blog Tours as part of the blog tour.

Joe Malone, a War Marine veteran works for his father in his fitness boot camp. Things started to go wrong when he finds a client is murdered. Now Joe have to get ready for a three-day adventure race in West Texas and protect his clients before any of them gets murdered before the race ends.

On The Edge by Dick Hannah is definitely a good mystery/crime novel. I like how the mystery starts right away in the first few chapters. The writing was smooth. I can’t stop reading to learn about the murder – why? And who did it? I can’t stop guessing until the end. The author did a really good job with the mystery and thriller. I love the bits on family and drama within the story. I wanted to know what will happen to Joe and his father’s relationship. Overall, On the Edge was a good mystery/thriller read laced with family drama and a little bit of romance.

Author Bio:

Imagine Dick Francis listing toward adventure races instead of horse racing. Or Diane Mott Davidson writing about triathlons inlieu of catering. With a background in adventure races including competing in the Army Best Ranger Competition Dick Hannah provides a fresh voice and real world glimpse into the world of adventure racing and fitness in his thriller novels.

Prior to starting his writing career he spent four years as a Ranger team leader and continues to stay sharp by working as a fitness consultant at a fitness bootcamp. When not racing or writing, Dick works full-time as technical writer, business analyst and trainer.

Dick followed up Toe the Line, his first full-length novel, in 2013 with On the Edge. He has already started on his third thriller, Vapor Trail, which he plans to release in 2014. He can be contacted through his blog at www.puborperish.blogspot.com.

On Tour: Tainted Love by Erin Cawood - Excerpt + Giveaway

Erin Cawood is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours with her book,Tainted Love. Please visit her tour page on CLP Blog Tours for more blog stop and a chance to win a $25 gift card!

Tainted Love
by Erin Cawood

Genre: Chick Lit
Publication: December 2012
Connect:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Blog | Email

Is it possible for a heart to survive twenty five years of abuse on the most intimate level?

For anyone in a relationship, the words 'we need to talk' can only mean one thing. In the last twenty-two years, the McKenzies have been through it, survived it, learned by it, and grown stronger from it, because life didn't stop for breath when they needed it. Amongst the tears and the tragedies, the hopes and happiness, they've built something amazing: a happy family, a luxury lifestyle and a booming empire. Don't they deserve to have it all?

But for the perfect wife, those four sinister words mean something entirely different. They're a summons into a private world where what happens behind closed doors stays behind closed doors.

Faith has no doubt in Calvin's undying love for her. It's what kept her sane in the darkest hours. If only she could figure out what it is she does wrong... because it's rapidly becoming apparent their tainted love is running out of time.

Tainted Love is an intimate look at a side of marriage many people never see.

Tainted Love Excerpt

We’d been the envy of our friends in recent weeks. At the dinners we’d find ourselves singled out as the odd couple and light-heartedly labeled as ‘the gurus’ for relationship success. They all said they thought we were crazy when we started having children again. After all, our two were already teenagers. We should have gone out and enjoyed our freedom. But look at us now, twenty-two years into the marriage and very much in love, they wouldn’t be surprised if we announced one or two more babies. We both looked at each other and said we were definitely done.

We hadn’t 'talked' in over a month. When we left the campus and Caleb, Cal appeared to be in great spirits, and he slept for most of the return flight. The gentleman in the seat beside me was happily talking and laughing with Zoe and Cate, even though I kept telling Zoe to stop fidgeting because she'd wake Cal.

"Did you have fun today, Faith?" He asked as my foot landed at the bottom of the stairs.

My Cal-sense went haywire. I knew that tone of voice. No children present equaled no protection. The hairs stood up on the back of my arms. My eyes flickered around the entrance hall. The house still remained in almost complete darkness. That's when I realized I had no idea where he was. He could have been in any of the four rooms leading away from where I stood.

"Answer me."

What did I say? Without a facial expression I was going in to a minefield wearing a blindfold. If I said yes, I was a heartless bitch for enjoying the day my only son left home for college. If I said no, what was wrong with me? I'd had a wonderful weekend with my husband and our two youngest children. Either way I was providing him with grenades to throw my way.

"ANSWER ME!"

I did the only thing I thought possible. I turned. I ran. For the first time in my life I made a beeline to get out of harm's way.

Big hands grabbed at my wrist, forced me to turn and tumble back to the floor below. I landed on my knees. He hit and he punched and he kicked and he stomped. He didn't stop.

He screamed, "Is this how you repay me?"

What for? What had I done? Blow after blow, he kept repeating it until I was a ball of trembling skin and bones at his feet, long past the point where I felt nothing. He didn't stop.

I prayed for death. I prayed that God would help me. I asked Him to rescue me and when He brought the darkness to gather me, I knew never I'd wake up again.

Author Bio:

Erin Cawood is a commercial women’s fiction author, with a taste for dramatic storylines and a passion for strong lead characters she really gets behind, cheering on right to the very end of their story. Her focus? Taking romance into the darker, edgier side of contemporary fiction.

Erin lives in Leeds, UK, with her partner of thirteen years and their fourteen year old cat. She spends her days somewhere between the fiction world and the student world. Fascinated by web design and digial communication, Erin is studing a BA(hons) in New Media at the University of Leeds. Before returning to full time education two years ago, Erin worked at a theme park, a convenience store, a public house/restaurant both in the kitchen and waitressing, as an insurance agent and currently works part time in a customer contact centre.

Enter Giveaway

Review: A Shade Of Vampire

A Shade of Vampire (A Shade of Vampire #1)
by Bella Forrest

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Vampire, Young Adult
Publication: December 2012
Format: ebooks
Source: ARC
Connect:  Website| Twitter| Facebook| Goodreads

On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake.

A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood.

She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine.

An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.

Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince.

Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.

Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I rarely read books on vampire. I guess I was never a big fan of vampire. But when the author gave me a chance to read A Shade of Vampire, I thought that I should give it a try.

Sofia Claremont was kidnapped on her 17th birthday and was bought into the world of vampire as one of the dark royal prince, Darek Novak’s harem. After an attempt of unsuccessful escape from the world where the sun was forbidden to shine, Sofia realized that the safest place was to be close to Darek.

A Shade of Vampire was written in both Sofia and Darek’s point of view. It was fun to learn what they both were thinking. I guess I favoured Sofia’s perspective a bit more. I wanted to know what will happen to Sofia, how will she survived and will she find a way to escape from Darek’s world? But Derek’s perspective gave me an insight to the vampire world. I was eager to learn about the hunters. I hope they will make their appearance soon so that I can see a little bit more action in the series.

The romance aspect was alright. It was a little bit brief in my opinion. It wasn’t insta-love with Sofia, but I wish Darek and Sofia get to spend their time more to get to know each other before they like each other.

A Shade of Vampire was a quick read. I enjoyed reading about the world of vampire with this book or else, I wouldn't be able to finish within two hours in one sitting. If you’re looking for a short paranormal romance, I would totally recommend A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest.

Excerpt from A Shade of Vampire

I’d been meandering along the shore for about an hour when I suddenly sensed that I wasn’t alone. Someone was approaching me from behind. My heart leapt. I was so sure it was Ben, that when a stranger showed up beside me, I couldn’t hide my disappointment.

He must have noticed, because a smirk formed on his lips. “Were you expecting someone else, love?”

I eyed him suspiciously, remembering how many times my father had told me not to talk to strangers. I looked him over, taking in his appearance. My eyes widened. I couldn’t find words to describe how fine a man he was. He was almost beautiful. The first thing I took notice of was how his blue eyes were about three shades brighter than any I’d ever seen before. It was such a stark contrast to his pale – almost white – skin and dark hair. Standing beside me, he was easily more than half a foot taller. His height, broad shoulders and lean build reminded me of Ben, but he had a presence that was far more imposing than my best friend’s.

My gaze settled on his face.

I realized that he was inspecting me just as closely as I was him. His eyes on me suddenly made me feel uncomfortably vulnerable. I gave my father’s advice a second thought, but quickly canceled out all notions of heeding to his counsel when I reminded myself that he stopped caring a long time ago.

I straightened to my full height and mustered all the courage I had to keep myself from running away from this stranger.

Big mistake.

The confident smirk didn’t leave his face for even a moment.

“Like what you see?”

“A bit full of yourself, aren’t you?” I scoffed, annoyed by his audacity.

He stepped forward, closer to me, and leaned his head toward mine.

“Don’t I have the right to be?”

He knew he looked good and wasn’t about to act like he didn’t.

“Whatever,” was my oh-so-brilliant comeback.

My shoulders sagged with defeat as I took a step back, unsettled by how close he was now. I rolled my eyes and did a one-eighty, not quite in the mood to play whatever game this stranger was proposing.

I would soon realize that I was about to play his game whether I liked it or not.

He grabbed my arm and turned my body to face him. This motion alone made every single internal alarm I had within me go off in a frenzy.

This man was danger and I knew it. I tried to wriggle away from his touch, but I was no match for his strength.

“Tell me your name,” he commanded.

I was about to refuse, but was horrified to find myself blurting out my name in response.

“Sofia Claremont.”

As soon as I revealed my name, his eyes lit up with a kind of sinister approval. Then he reached for my face and traced his thumb over my jaw line.

“Hello, Sofia Claremont. You’re one stupid girl for taking a walk alone at this time of night. You never know what kind of evil a pretty little thing like you could happen to come by.”

I found myself wondering exactly what kind of evil he was. But I was suddenly overcome by the sensations that were surrounding me. My senses took in everything at once. I heard the waves, felt the sand, smelled the ocean salt, tasted the flavor of cherry and saw the stranger’s manic appearance as he stuck a needle to my neck. The effect was instant. I was barely able to gasp, much less scream. I went from sensing everything to sensing absolutely nothing.

My last conscious thought was that I may never see Ben again.

On Tour: Where's the Groom? by Sophie Meyer - Review + Q&A

Sophie Meyer is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours with her book,Where's the Groom? Please visit her tour page on CLP Blog Tours for more blog stop and a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card!

Where's the Groom?
by Sophie Meyer

Genre: Chick Lit, Romance
Publication:  February 3rd 2013
Format: kindle
Buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble 

Ashley, just turning thirty, is stuck with a string of bad dates that keep getting worse. The last of her group of friends to be single, she’s quickly becoming hopeless about finding The One.

When a friend convinces her to attend a new-age workshop on making your dreams come true, she gets onto a roller coaster she can’t get off of. The poignant and hilarious comedy of errors begins. The workshop sweeps through her life like a tornado and turns her reality upside down. She is told: visualize it, and he will come. But Ashley takes it seriously, and before she knows it, she’s planning a wedding. There’s only one problem: there’s no groom.

Things quickly spiral out of control as one misunderstanding after another occurs, and Ashley’s friends and family find out a wedding is happening, and want to know who the groom is. Backed into a corner, she finds herself having to lie, and to make her wedding planning more and more a reality. Things intensify as Ashley chooses her bridesmaids and is caught in a whirlwind of looking for dresses, choosing a venue, finding a band, and everything else. Soon a date is set, invitations are sent out, and there is no backing out!

In the meantime, Ashley is desperately dating, hoping for The One to show up in time! In a shocking ending with a twist, Ashley draws true love into her life in the most unexpected way.

I received a copy of Where's the Groom? by Sophie Meyer from CLP Blog Tours as part of the blog tour.

Ashley just turned thirty and wanted to find The One and get married like most of her friends. But after she was dumped prior her thirtieth birthday, she was not sure if she would find the right guy. Then her friend, Ray, her yoga instructor convinced her to attend a workshop on making dreams come true. And to make her dream comes true; Ashley started planning on her wedding. But the problem is, there’s no groom.

I love romance comedy and was really excited to read Where's the Groom. Planning a wedding with no groom? Doesn’t that sounded fun? The author’s writing style made it hard for me to get into the book at first. I guess the book was lacking of something at the beginning of the book. But then as I read the book, I began to enjoy it, especially when Ashley began to plan her wedding. It was difficult for me to put down the book. I need to know what will happen to Ashley and how she was going to get herself out from what she had put herself into.

Where’s the groom? was definitely a fun romance read. I would definitely recommend this one for anyone who was looking for a quick, light, humorous read with a bit of romance.

Author Q&A

1. Please introduce yourself and your book.
I’ve been writing since I was about ten and have always loved romance, romance novels, films, plays and the real thing in our lives.

2. What inspires you to write this book?
I have also been very involved studying and working with love, relationships and many new age practices. Where’s The Groom? is a lively, zany, humorous romance which is based in the new age ideas about love.

3. Are there any similarities between you and any of your characters?
I identify with the main character, who has had a rough time with relationships and wonders if she’ll ever find the One.

4. What do you consider as the fun parts in planning a wedding? And what about the not-so-fun parts?
For me, the fun parts of planning a wedding are having all the people you love and the groom loves meet each other, make friends, and enjoy many pre-wedding events. I love bringing people together. The difficult part of wedding planning is trying to make so many different people happy, the right location, time, seating, dresses, on and on. It can become quite a three ring circus.

5. What are your favorite romantic comedy reads or movies?
I love Pretty Woman, Sleepless in Seattle, Gone with the Wind, Moonstruck.

6. What are you working on right now?
I am working on the next step – a novel about star crossed soul mates.

7. Anything you would like to say to your readers?
Please suspend your disbelief and sense of reality for a little while as you read this book. Go on the ride with her and you’ll find that what happens may resonate for you in all kinds of unexpected ways. And, of course, enjoy!

Author Bio:

Sophie Meyer has been writing for years, and has always been in love with love. With a background in psychology, philosophy and theater, she's helped many find love, avoid detours and climb out of inevitable pitfalls. The essence of her life and work are exploring the wonderful, spontaneous and unpredictable surprises life loves to provide. She also offers talks and workshops on finding and living a life of love.

On Tour: Eleusis by Genevieve Fairbrother - Review + Interview

Genevieve Fairbrother is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours with her book, Eleusis. Please visit her tour page on CLP Blog Tours for more blog stop and a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card!

Eleusis
by Genevieve Fairbrother

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Publication:  February 12th 2013
Format: ebooks
Author:  Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Book Trailer

Macy needs a break to sort out her life. Her parents are dead and now a moody trespasser has set up camp on the property she has inherited. When the stranger confesses himself to be an ageless sea-god and tells Macy she has been guarding a secret she never knew existed, her simple life takes a drastic turn. Just when she thinks it can’t get any stranger, a back door to the Underworld opens up and it’s time to run like hell.

This fast-paced adventure romance novel explodes as the dark forces tracking Macy surface to capture her. In the transatlantic chase that follows, she learns of her forgotten past and an ancient connection to the sea-god who helps her escape.

As events challenge Macy, she must come to grips with her past, determine what she wants in life, and become a force in her own right. Family betrayal, sinister plot twists, and unlikely friends fill this exhilarating story of one woman’s journey to forge her own path as she learns her true identity.

She soon realizes that to gain real freedom and become legend, she must reject her assigned place in history and risk everything in the process.

I received a copy of Eleusis by Genevieve Fairbrother from CLP Blog Tours as part of the blog tour.

I was intrigued with the story as I read the summary. I like reading books with Greek mythology. Eleusis is about Macy who came to Eleusis to check out the property she inherited from her parents. But strange, dangerous things began to occur. When Macy met Jason, who then confessed that he is a sea-god, Macy wouldn’t believe him. It can’t be true, can it?

Eleusis started out a bit slow in my opinion. But the author had her way to build up the story slowly. At first I was interested to know the story behind Eleusis and whatever strange things that happen in Macy’s life. When Macy decided to help Jason to get back to his home… this was when things begin to get much more interesting.

I love Macy. She’s strong and smart. I love the romance part with Macy and Jason. At first I thought that things were happening too fast between them, but then I started to enjoy watching them together a lot.

Genevieve had her way with writing. Her writing style was captivating. I love her description on places and things that occur around Macy. She made it sounds so vivid! I really enjoy Eleusis. It was a book packed adventure, fantasy and a little bit of romance. 

Interview

1. Please introduce yourself and your book.

I wanted one word to encapsulate a central message. Eleusis is a city in Greece that is considered a point of freedom or rebirth from Ancient Greece. When I settled on that title I knew it was the right one for this book. Eleusis is a contemporary re-imagination of the Persephone myth with a twist. Persephone is the reason for this urban fantasy but it is the “front” for the story of a woman who escapes oppression and slowly goes from being powerless and in hiding to one who finds love, acceptance and then has the courage to face her captor and push back. I attended Wellesley before pursuing a medical degree at Tufts university school of medicine. I am a fulltime OB-GYN at Northside hospital in Atlanta, the largest obstetric hospital in the USA. My husband is a scientist and we have two teenage children. I enjoy sailing, reading, cooking, and travelling to exotic destinations.

2. When and why did you decided to write?

I recently found this quote “At any given moment you have the power to say: This is not how the story is going to end.” About three years ago Eleusis that had begun to grow in my mind at age 8 finally took up too much space and I decided to get it out and onto paper (okay, my computer). Greek mythology is the original urban fantasy series and as a child I loved all the stories with one exception. The mythology where Persephone was abducted into the underworld by Hades and just accepted her fate bugged me. I imagined re-writing an ending where she escapes. I drew from personal experience as a young woman coming of age post ERA and Title IX where women had great opportunities but still were expected to do everything on the home front. It was a false freedom. I wanted to evolve Persephone from a trapped powerless woman to one who escapes but lives a half life in hiding until she can find the right balance and live a fully realized and self-directed life. I want the next generation of women and men to live more balanced lives than my generation.

3. Why did you choose to write about Greek Mythology/fantasy?

Greek mythology is the original urban fantasy series and it accurately portrays the hopes, fears, and human frailties that make the world we know so complex. I am attracted as an author to this genre because I can write fantastical stories without limiting my imagination to such things as death, gravity, or time but still ground my characters with humanism.

4. Tell us a little bit about Macy and what do you think makes a good heroine?

Macy is relatable and real. She tries her best and is humble and that trait never leaves her even when she realizes her powers. People who have suffered adversity or have successfully dealt with their own short-comings are usually kinder more forgiving people. She has been wronged but when she manages to regain control of her life and become a power in her own right she is not vengeful.

5. Anything you would like to say to your readers?

“We stopped looking for monsters under our bed when we realized they were all in our head.” Children have such great imaginations because they are not limited by pre-conceived ideas. The ancient cultures have such wildly fantastical stories but the root emotions and human relationships tie us together through the ages. Timeless stories tap into those familiar emotions. The magic is capturing those emotions in unique and compelling ways. I hope you enjoy Eleusis. It is an adventure of discovery, love, and self-determination. “May your world unfold in your dreams.”

Author's Bio

The author lives in Atlanta with her husband and two teenagers. She attended Wellesley.

Connect with author: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Book Trailer

**Everyone who leaves a comment on the CLP tour page will be entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card! Anyone who purchases their copy of Eleusis before June 17 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five bonus entries.**

The Best Book Ever Giveaway Hop (INT)

The Best Book Ever Giveaway Hop

Hosted by The Best Books Ever 

C0-Hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer

:

One lucky winner will get the chance to win:

I'm offering you the chance to win a copy of Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, the first book from the Inkworld series. This book is one of the best fantasy/young adult book I've read up to date! To win this book, all you got to do is to read the rules and then, fill in the form below. Easy right?

• Please enter your contact details in the form below to enter this giveaway. Easy!
• This is an International giveaway as long as BookDepository.com ship them to your country.
• One entry per person, please.
• Winner will be notified via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be selected. 
• I'm not responsible for any lost package.
• Have fun! And good luck :)

Be sure to check out the other giveaway stops on this blog hop: